Responsible Trade & Consumption

Dovetail creates and supports incentives that recognize the full spectrum of ecological attributes found in the forest and the social benefits provided by these forests. Dovetail has developed a "Responsible Materials Initiative" to provide and summarize information about available materials in a manner that best aids organizations and individuals in making sound and sustainable choices that they fully understand. There is a need to transform forest-based industries that are currently limited by a reliance on the traditional industrial model, which focuses on commoditization and lowest unit cost, to a new paradigm that concentrates on markets and products.

Information and Presentations from Dovetail's Workshop "Helping the Wood Products Industry Profit from the Next 10 Years"

Dovetail's Responsible Material Reports

What is a "Responsible Material" Anyway?

The United States is the greatest consuming nation the world has ever known, with access of many of its citizens to conveniences of daily living at levels well above those of kings and princes of antiquity. Overall, the proportion of global consumption accounted for by the United States is four to five times higher than the U.S. proportion of global population. The U.S. is also a massive net importer of both raw materials and finished goods, causing in the process substantial impacts to the landscapes and environments of other nations. In view of the high global impact of U.S. consumption, it is worth considering how Americans as individuals and organizations can make sound and sustainable choices.

• Bamboo Flooring: Environmental Silver Bullet or Faux Savior? PDF
• Paper from Agricultural Residues  PDF
• Tree Free Paper: When Is It Good for the Environment?  PDF
• Vinyl Siding: At Least It's Maintenance Free, Isn't It?   PDF
• Materials Selection in Framing: Is Steel Framing a Good Environmental Choice?  PDF
• Solid Wood Products: Green Materials or the Bane of Environmental Sustainability?   PDF
• Innovations in Design & Construction: Opportunities for the Wood Industry  PDF
  

Responsible Sourcing

• Urban Tree Utilization and Why It Matters  PDF
• Wood Products and Carbon Protocols: Carbon Storage and Low Energy Intensity Should Be Considered PDF
• Firewood Movement and the Emerald Ash Borer  PDF
• Is the Wood in Your Product Line of Legal Origin?: What is Your Responsibility to Make Sure That It Is? PDF
• Have Tropical Woods in Your Product Line?: How to Know if They Were Harvested Legally, Responsibly PDF
• Chain-of-Custody Certification: What is It, Why do It, and How?  PDF
• The FSC Controlled Wood Standard: What it is and what it is for PDF
  

Tools for Evaluating Materials

• Life Cycle Analysis: A Key to Better Environmental Decisions PDF
• Are Life Cycle-Based Labeling and a Broadening of Environmental Certification Programs Needed? PDF
• Greening Your Product Line: Where to Start  PDF